Chances are that I won’t be the first person to tell you that dark chocolate is good for you, however, it’s not that simple. For example, Hershey’s makes dark chocolate, as do many other candy companies, but I would never recommend that you eat those. So how do you know which Chocolate is the best choice? Here are a few things that you need to keep in mind when choosing a chocolate product:
1. Sugar content: Keep the sugar content low (I know that's vague but the LOWER the BETTER). Better yet, choose a brand that uses alternative sugars like stevia, monk fruit or coconut sugar. For example: Lily’s chocolate does a fabulous job of capturing everything there is to love about chocolate without all the sugar.
2. Say no to soy lecithin. Soy is a phytoestrogen, which means that it contains isoflavones, which act like estrogen in the body. Since many breast cancers need estrogen to grow, it would stand to reason that soy will create hormonal IMBALANCE and even increase your risk of breast cancer. I don’t know about you, but I don’t need help producing any MORE estrogen… How do I know that, you ask? I got tested, and you should too! (click this link to get tested at a Wellness Way clinic near you)
3. Know your food allergies. Let me say that again, you need to know your food allergies in order to pick the best chocolate source for your body. Many chocolate companies use whey and/or milk protein to create the creamy and milky flavor we all love. I hate to be the bearer of bad news (actually, no i don’t), BUT dairy is in the top 5 most common food sensitivities, which includes: Soy, Corn, Wheat, Eggs and you guessed it-dairy. So ladies and gentlemen, go get your food sensitivities tested (click this link to get tested at a Wellness Way clinic near you) and find a healthy chocolate that works for you.
If at the end of the day you can’t find a product that works for your needs, you can take my AMAZING homemade recipe and switch up the ingredients for your needs, leave a comment or contact me if you need some help:
Hormone Balancing Sea Salt Chocolate
Ingredients:
2 cups cacao butter
1 cup cacao powder
¼ cup full fat coconut milk
¼ cup xylitol (sourced from birch trees)
⅛ cup yacon syrup
2 tbsp maca root
1 tsp vanilla
½ tsp salt
Directions:
On VERY low heat, melt cacao butter and coconut milk in skillet, let cool before moving on but do not the mixture solidify or thicken
In a Nutribullet, blender or food processor combine melted cacao butter, coconut milk, cacao powder, xylitol, yacon syrup, maca, vanilla and sea salt. Mix until desired consistency
Line a large baking sheet with wax paper or parchment paper and pour mixture over and spread to desired thickness (about ¼ inch thick)
Sprinkle with sea salt
Place in freezer for one hour to set
Break into desired serving size and store in the freezer or refrigerator.
Enjoy!
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